I t is often said that the Church shouldstay out of politics. And indeed, the

Church should refrain from partisan politics— explicitly favoring one candidate or partyover another. In another sense, the Churchmust remain in politics, that is, the principledquest for a just and humane society thatserves the common good. This is because, ul-timately, we can only find happiness in com-munity, in association with other personsendowed by God with life and dignity andcalled to friendship with him. In truth, theone God is a community of Persons: Father,Son and Holy Spirit. Since we are made in

God’s image, and since Christ in some wayhas united himself to each person, human fra-ternity is modeled to some extent on the one-ness of the Holy Trinity. Here we find theultimate basis for the link between love ofGod and love of neighbor (Compendium,401).

THE RULE OF LAWIn countries like the United States, there

are intense debates about the size and scopeof government institutions and programs.Reasonable people differ about such matters.

These debates, however, are sure to go awrywhen we forget that “the human person isand ought to be the principle, the subject,and the end of all social institutions” (402).In other words, social institutions shouldexist for the good of human beings — notthe other way around. All human beingsneed social institutions, beginning with thefamily and extending to the local civic com-munity and one’s nation. We are also increas-ingly linked to the international community.Over time, the Church took up and re-

Bishop William E. LoriSupreme Chaplain

THIS MONTH’S TOPIC: (Based on the Compendium of the Catechism of the Catholic Church)

Seeking Authentic Human Development,the Church Promotes Subsidiarity, Solidarity and the Common Good

CHAPLAIN’S reportL E A R N I N G T H E F A I T H , L I V I N G T H E F A I T H � 1 C O L U M B U S P L A Z A , N E W H A V E N , C T 0 6 5 1 0 - 3 3 2 6 , U S A

J U L Y 2 0 1 0 � V O L U M E 3 � N U M B E R 7 � W W W . K O F C . O R G / C H A P L A I N S

KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS In Service to One. In Service to Al l .

MEMBER SHIP IN THE KNIGHTS OF COLUMBUS is open to men 18 years of age or older who are practical (that is, practicing) Catholics in union with the Holy See. This means that an applicant or member accepts the teaching authority of the Catholic Church on matters of faith and morals,

aspires to live in accord with the precepts of the Catholic Church, and is in good standing in the Catholic Church.

Conferring an Office of ServiceSupreme Chaplain Bishop William E. Lori ofBridgeport, Conn., looks on as Supreme Knight CarlA. Anderson confers the jewel of office on TennesseeState Deputy Robert H. Rounsefell. The conferringof the jewels of office occurred at the end of the open-ing Mass for the annual meeting of state deputies,held in New Haven June 3-6. During his homily,Bishop Lori said that the members of Knights ofColumbus don’t do good works just to feel good aboutthemselves; they do good works because they believe the word of God is the path to salvation. “His(Christ’s) human heart is the heart of the God that islove, a storage place of the charity to which we are sodevoted,” he said.

SEE COMMON, PAGE 3

THE HUMAN COMMUNITY

W e need to keep ahead of schedule here,so I’m actually writing this in May. Be-

cause of that, I can only report on what has hap-pened. I will not be back from Rome in time towrite an account of the chaplains pilgrimage forthis month’s Chaplains Report.I have mentioned a number of times my inter-

est in chaplains’ meetings. Since last month, Ihave been to three such gatherings. One was in Colorado and anotherwas in Alaska. It was the first time that the Colorado and Alaska juris-dictions scheduled a meeting specifically for chaplains during their stateconventions. And when you realize the extent of territory our Knights inAlaska have to cover, and the severity of their winter, great credit mustbe given to their accomplishments. Their convention was held in Fair-banks this year, and the Diocese of Fairbanks is larger in size than thestate of Texas!Of course, I also had to visit the California convention because that

is where I initially became involved with the Knights. For as long as Ihave been a member, a chaplains’ meeting has always been held in con-junction with the California state convention. This year, it was biggerthan ever. We spent time in all three states delineating the special role of the

chaplain within the council and the state. This was important as I find

that some chaplains, especially the new ones, donot know what is expected of a council chaplain.From my point of view, the effort was worthwhile. I offer my sincere gratitude to the state chap-

lains and the state deputies of these three juris-dictions for the preparation and forethought theyput into these gatherings. They were all a success.Is there room for improvement? Of course. We

need to stress why it is so necessary that more of our chaplains not onlycome together for at least an annual meeting but also attend and activelyparticipate at state conventions. Seemingly, this has not been a priorityin many places, and few chaplains actually attend. I believe that state of-ficers and local councils can do much to improve this situation.What can have a profound effect and really raise the spirits of state

convention participants is the celebration of the opening and closingMasses. When many chaplains concelebrate, and especially when a coun-cil sees their chaplain participating, there is a sense of pride and honor.I know that when they are present, the participation of chaplains in thestate convention is very much appreciated and also presents an ideal op-portunity to have a chaplains’ meeting. Doing so also emphasizes theimportance of the chaplain’s role in the Order.Some jurisdictions that have never held a chaplains’ meeting may

Chaplains’ Meetings & State ConventionsMake for a Winning Combination

Father John P.Grace, O.S.A.Director of Chaplain Programs & Development

Visit www.kofc.org/chaplains to sign up to receive future issues of this newsletter via e-mail. Previous issues are also archived at this site.

SEE ANNUAL MEETINGS, PAGE 4

From the Colorado state convention, from left: State Warden Jay Doherty; Betty Sauter and her husband, State Deputy Foster Sauter; State Treasurer Chuck Page and his mother,Mable; Father John Grace; Rev. Robert Wedow, state chaplain; Margaret Muller and her husband, State Secretary Roger Muller; State Advocate Jim Caffrey; and Christal andJim Yankovich.

FROM THE DIRECTOR’S DESK

fined the principle of subsidiarity to protectthe human person from being overwhelmedand harmed by large, faceless, bureaucraticinstitutions and structures. The Compendiumof the Catechism of the Catholic Church ex-plains that “a community of a higher ordershould not assume the task belonging to acommunity of a lower order and deprive it ofits authority” (403). The most basic humanstructure is the family, based on the marriageof a man and a woman. It is in the interest ofall, including the state, that family life bestrong. And as a rule, the state should notpreempt parental authority, as happens, forinstance, when laws permit minors to pro-cure abortions without parental notification.In a well-functioning society, institutionssuch as the national and regional govern-ments assist and support families and localgovernments so that they can function well.Because of the reality of sin, human society

will always be less than perfect and evendeeply flawed. Nonetheless, the cause ofhuman freedom must be won over in everyage, and instead of becoming cynical, wemust continue to seek what is authenticallygood for ourselves, our families and our soci-ety. This means giving priority to “ethics overtechnology,” acknowledging “the primacy ofthe person of things,” and “the superiority ofspirit over matter” (John Paul II, RedemptorHominis, 16). To retrieve these values and tokeep them from being lost, we stand in con-

tinual need of repentance, and the Churchmust often stand in the breach to call forchanges in laws and social structures. Fur-thermore, as Pope Benedict XVI reminded usin his first encyclical, even the most just soci-ety would still require charity — providingbasic necessities to those in need in a spirit oflove and human respect (Deus Caritas Est, 28;Compendium, 404).

THE COMMON GOODMany people today distrust or disrespect

authority. Yet, in God’s plan, every humancommunity, from the largest to the smallest,needs legitimate authority (405). Of course,authorities do make mistakes and sometimesbreak faith. The legitimate exercise of author-ity includes the personal integrity of leadersand requires that the common good is soughtusing morally licit means. Laws that are un-just and immoral “are not binding in con-science” (406). Lastly, governments are to beconstituted and to function by the free deci-sions of citizens, and leaders should respect“the rule of law” rather than imposing theirown will on others. It is not only leaders of social institutions

that have a responsibility to seek the com-mon good. All of us must seek the commongood by living up to our vocations, doing ourwork well, and being loyal and engaged citi-zens. The common good is all those condi-tions that enable individuals and groupswithin society to flourish. It is best secured incommunities that defend the dignity of indi-

vidual citizens and promote various social in-stitutions that truly assist citizens, while call-ing them to seek the good of the nation andthe world as a whole (407-410).In such a society, where authority is exer-

cised well and wisely, social justice is morelikely ensured. In other words, society is bet-ter able to ensure that individuals and groupsattain what is their due, such as the freedomto speak freely in the public square and theopportunity to pursue beneficial goals (411). The attainment of the common good and

genuine social justice is based on human soli-darity. We are bound together because allpersons are created in God’s image, endowedwith a rational soul, share the same natureand are called by Christ to happiness inheaven (412, 414). Despite this fact, there isa growing disparity between the rich andpoor, affecting millions of people. We cannotbe complacent about these inequities that arecontrary to the Gospel. Instead, we mustwork for a more just and humane society andthen call to the practice of generous charity.Indeed, the principles of the Knights ofColumbus — charity, unity, fraternity andpatriotism — track the Church’s social teach-ing closely and call us to work for the com-mon good of all.

CIS BOOKLET

THE FOURTH COMMANDMENTThe Fourth Commandment isn’t just about

honoring your parents; it is also about the re-sponsibilities we have for building a just soci-ety. But honoring one’s parents and orderingsociety are meaningless if we don’t understandthat the Commandments are a part of God’scovenant with us. Thus, the Fourth Com-

mandment is about the relationship we have with God that is manifestedin the duties and responsibilities of human relations of family and neigh-bor oriented toward the good.

Produced by the Order’s Catholic Information Service (CIS), thesebooklets are part of the Luke E. Hart Series based on the Catechism of theCatholic Church. To get your free copies, or to listen to them in MP3 for-mat, visit the CIS Web site, www.kofc.org/hart. (Also available inSpanish.) Request printed copies by writing: CIS, PO Box 1971, NewHaven, CT 06521-1971.

DISCUSSION/REFLECTION COMPENDIUM QUESTIONS: 401-414WHAT IS MEANT BY THE SOCIAL DIMENSION of the human person? How is society and the human person related?

WHAT IS THE PRINCIPLE OF SUBSIDIARITY? What are some concrete examples in the ordering of the Church and in the Knights of Columbus?

WHAT IS THE COMMON GOOD and what is its relationship to social justice?HOW DOES GOD’S PLAN ENFOLD true differences among people, and how does human solidarity address these differences?

COMMON, FROM PAGE ONE

Encourage Knights to join the Father McGivney Guild at www.fathermcgivney.org

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The Knights of Columbus Book Club Discusses: Quiet Hero: Secrets From My Father’s PastBy Rita Cosby (Threshold Editions, 2010)On July 29, veteran news correspondent and TV host for Fox News and MSNBC Rita Cosby will join the Knights of

Columbus to discuss her recent book, Quiet Hero: Secrets From My Father’s Past. In this emotional history of war and fam-ily, Cosby uncovers the story of her father’s valiant service as a member of the Warsaw Uprising and Polish resistance move-ment during World War II. It is also the story of a daughter coming to understand the tragedy, pain and incredible heroismher father kept hidden from his family for so many years. Please join Rita Cosby on July 29 at 5 p.m. EST for an onlinebook chat at www.kofc.org/bookclub.

question its practicality and necessity. How-ever, those who have already called their chap-lains together can tell you about the positiveoutcome, the new sense of responsibility, andthe feeling of brotherhood and unity thesegatherings generate. This is one of the com-ments conveyed to me after the convention inAlaska: “This was the most Catholic conven-tion we ever had.” And it wasn’t a chaplain whomade that statement!Chaplains from all but a few jurisdictions

will be joining us for the special pilgrimage toRome for the closing of the “Year For Priests.”We will discuss that great event in our nextissue.

God bless and keep you all.

REV. JOHN P. GRACE, O.S.A.DIRECTOR OF CHAPLAIN PROGRAMSAND DEVELOPMENTJOHN.GRACE@KOFC.ORG(203) 752-4263

From the Alaska state convention, front row, left to right: State Advocate Ronald Rheinhardt Sr., State Treasurer JamesBetts, State Warden Thomas Malon and State Secretary Kevin Adler. Back row, left to right: Immediate Past StateDeputy James Boley, State Chaplain Father Frederick Bayler and State Deputy Michael Welch.

ANNUAL MEETINGS, FROM PAGE 2